But I need to link to a couple of CalPundit-referenced issues.
SHIT, MEET FAN....If Josh Marshall and Chris Nelson are to be believed, the shit is about to hit the proverbial fan this week. After two weeks of softening up George Bush's credibility via African uranium and the ever changing explanations for it, we're now set for brand new battles on two fronts:
First, Josh links to a UPI story saying that the congressional 9/11 report, due to be released tomorrow, will show that we knew all along that Saddam Hussein had no connection to al-Qaeda:
…George Bush, of course, repeatedly said otherwise. In his State of the Union address, for example, he said "Evidence from intelligence sources, secret communications, and statements by people now in custody reveal that Saddam Hussein aids and protects terrorists, including members of al Qaeda."
This is no minor "16 words." The al-Qaeda connection was key to Bush's case, and if it turns out that he knew it was dubious in the extreme but kept repeating it anyway, he's in big trouble.
Second, Josh reprints a few bullet points from today's Nelson Report suggesting that the CIA is about ready to declare war on Bush and the entire neocon establishment
To me this is a serious "pass the popcorn" moment.
And this lovely bit about Florida checking up on the state of malpractice insurance:
Like many states, Florida is in the grips of the dreaded medical malpractice "crisis," so their legislature is holding hearings.
But with a twist:
The state Senate, in a rare state of alertness, held two days of hearings with the unusual proviso that witnesses testify under oath.
....What happened after that "was pretty scary," said Sen. Ron Klein, D-Boca Raton, the Senate minority leader.
"People who had testified before us on previous occasions got up there and told us different things."
The president of the state's largest malpractice-insurance company said no, insurers didn't need a cap on jury awards to be profitable. A state regulator said no, there hasn't been an explosion of frivolous lawsuits.
A state insurance regulator surprised senators by saying he often depended on insurance companies' information when deciding whether to raise rates. "So you rely on the fox to guard the henhouse," grumbled Sen. Walter "Skip" Campbell, D-Fort Lauderdale.
And guess what? Contrary to stories of doctors quitting the business, the number of licensed doctors is increasing. A Health Department official said new applications for new medical licenses in Florida rose from 2,261 in fiscal 2000 to 2,658 in fiscal 2003.
Kevin says "It's puzzling to me that the medical industry is in bed so tightly with the insurance industry," but what I noticed is the state regulators referenced in the above quotes.
posted by Prometheus 6 at 7/25/2003 05:12:46 PM |
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